Acclaimed Actress Diane Ladd, Known For Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Has Died at Age 89.
The Oscar-nominated performer the celebrated Diane Ladd has died at the age of 89.
This actor, with credits spanned Chinatown, passed away at home at her Ojai, California home. Her passing was shared in a statement shared by her offspring, Academy Award-winning star Laura Dern, her daughter.
Her daughter, who performed alongside her mother in various films including Rambling Rose, referred to her as “my wonderful hero plus my special gift of a mother”, stating that she was by her side when she passed.
“She was the greatest grandmother, mother, daughter, performer, creative along with empathetic spirit that seemed almost dreamlike,” she stated. “We were blessed to have her. Her spirit soars with angels.”
Beginnings and Rise to Fame
Ladd’s early career saw small roles on television series including Perry Mason while the seventies saw her starring next to actor Jack Nicholson in the classic Chinatown.
During that year, 1974, she appeared with Ellen Burstyn in Martin Scorsese’s acclaimed comedy drama the movie Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. Her acting earned Ladd an Academy Award nomination as best supporting actress.
1980s and Beyond
In the 1980s, she appeared in the dramatic film Black Widow plus comedy sequel National Lampoon’s holiday comedy and also took part in Alice, a television series based on her earlier movie.
In the subsequent decade, she received a further best supporting actress nomination for her performance in the David Lynch film Wild at Heart, a cult classic where she played the parent of her actual daughter Dern’s character. A year later she was awarded a further nomination for her role in Rambling Rose, another movie which included Laura Dern.
“This was the picture that Princess Diana picked as her top choice, and she flew us to England for a royal premiere and a celebration in our honor,” Ladd said of Rambling Rose. “She sat with us, holding both our hands, with tears, seeing us act.”
That decade also saw roles in the comedy The Cemetery Club bringing her back with Burstyn, Primary Colors, a political story, a political comedy, starring John Travolta and the film by Alexander Payne Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy where she played Dern’s mother once more. The decade also brought her Emmy nominations for work in the series Dr Quinn, Medicine Woman, the show Grace Under Fire and Touched by an Angel.
Partnerships with Her Daughter
She continued to star with Laura Dern in dramatic comedies Daddy and Them, David Lynch’s the movie Inland Empire and White’s satirical show the program Enlightened. She was also seen with Sandra Bullock, a star in the film 28 Days, Anthony Hopkins in that movie and Jennifer Lawrence in Joy.
Subsequent TV appearances consisted of Ray Donovan and Young Sheldon.
Writing and Directing
She additionally penned and oversaw the comedy film the movie Mrs Munck featuring Diane Ladd and ex-husband Bruce Dern, an actor. “Bruce is a great actor,” she noted. “I was honored to direct him on a project. In fact, I stand as the only woman ever who directed her former husband. I make a joke: ‘I say ladies, if you seek payback, direct your ex-husband.’ But I’m only kidding.”
Personal Life
She happened to be a relative of playwright Tennessee Williams, who she referred to as “a major inspiration throughout my life”.
In 2018, she received an incorrect diagnosis with a respiratory illness and advised her life expectancy was six months but she regained full health after her daughter moved her to another medical facility.
“Should you harness your suffering and prevent it from festering like an injury, rather utilize it to investigate, to illuminate the way for yourself and others, then you are triumphing,” Ladd remarked.
